The Cuban Exodus
In Search of Freedom
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Introduction
The Cuban saga of the latter half of the 20th Century is an epic, heartbreaking tale of global politics and grand history. From Castro to Kennedy, the CIA to the Mafia, Communism to Capitalism, Totalitarianism to Democracy, the actors have been players on the world stage, and the issues and conflicts have been titanic.
Yet the story of
Felipe Calzadilla is one of those people, a man who has lived and survived and triumphed, through the entire story of modern
I have known Felipe most of my life. The quality of his character and the facts of his story will entertain you and enlighten you. Through his eyes and his experience, you will begin to understand
Felipe’s is not only an extraordinary story but also a valuable testimony – one man’s lifelong journey from one country to another, one world to another, one existence to another.
It is a testimony worth reading. It is a journey worth taking.
Len Sherman
Len Sherman is the author of “The Good, the Bad and the Famous: Celebrities Playing Politics,” “Big League, Big Time: The Birth of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Billion-Dollar Business of Sports,” and “The Power of the Media in America,” among other books.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The Cuban saga of the latter half of the 20th Century is an epic, heartbreaking tale of global politics and grand history. From Castro to Kennedy, the CIA to the Mafia, Communism to Capitalism, Totalitarianism to Democracy, the actors have been players on the world stage, and the issues and conflicts have been titanic.
Felipe Calzadilla is one of those people, a man who has lived and survived and triumphed, through the entire story of modern
Felipe’s is not only an extraordinary story but also a valuable testimony – one man’s lifelong journey from one country to another, one world to another, one existence to another.
It is a testimony worth reading. It is a journey worth taking.
About the Author
Felipe Calzadilla was born in Cuba into a poor farming family in Banes, Oriente Province.
A hard worker, Felipe found great success as a young man, opening a food store in his hometown of Banes, and later a bar on the beach.
As Castro’s revolution progressed, many businesses, including Felipe’s, found themselves on the point of bankruptcy, due to interrupted supply lines and customers who were keeping a low profile.
Once Castro came to power, Felipe watched many good people falsely accused of supporting counter-revolutionary causes, jailed and executed. He realized that, since he had not supported the revolution, he was not safe and would have to leave his beloved family and homeland. He managed to immigrate to Miami.
In the United States, Felipe found excellent employment, and started his own business in Miami and in New York, married another Cuban immigrant and raised a family. He returned to his family in Cuba twice, and vividly relates the changed conditions on the island under Castro.
In Miami Felipe started as a busboy and later waiter. He volunteered for the United States Navy. Later, he returned to Miami working room service, waiter, assistant manager room service, owned a gas station and mechanic shop and as a grocery owner. He sold his business in Miami moving to Puerto Rico, and he was the only Cuban he knows that lost everything in Puerto Rico. He graduated from high school in English, becoming notary public State Of New York, real estate salesman and taxi driver. He worked as resident manager for the same company in New York City’s Upper East Side for thirty years; retiring to Arizona. Being all his life a hardworking person, he couldn’t adapt to retirement, began writing and worked as a car salesman and later as manager of Cascade Blind Company, In Mesa Arizona.
In The Cuban Exodus: In Search of Freedom, Felipe takes the reader on a journey through Cuba before Castro’s revolution, takes us with him to Miami and New York and then revisits the island. The reader will see a way of life unknown to most Americans, and then watch as that way of life is destroyed. The book, through the story of one man’s life, informs the reader of the history and personal impact of the Cuban revolution, while contrasting that way of life to the liberties found in the United States of America. Besides writing the book “The Cuban Exodus In Search Of Freedom” he has also written “Wings of Memory,” a book of poetry that will be in print soon. His poetry has won several nominations and medals and has been published in several newspapers and magazines. Felipe is married and has two sons Philip and Pierre He live with his wife Vicenta “Vicky” in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.
Janet Bregman-Taney.